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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27338038">One Dream, Blue Hour</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniSuga127/pseuds/MiniSuga127'>MiniSuga127</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BLUE HOUR MV, Dreams, Dreamscapes, Gen, Imagination, Loneliness, beom has a tough life, beom just wants friends, blue hour was so pretty so i had to make this, but happy endings, but his friends make it better, friendships, it takes beom way too long to meet the others, its just crack yet again (not rly), its kinda sad at some point, jeongin and beom r bffs, plz join me on this journey, the rest of skz make an appearance, this got too long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:14:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27338038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniSuga127/pseuds/MiniSuga127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Beomgyu had always felt lonely his entire life . All that changed when he met four boys in his dreams.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. You and I, Found in the Sky at 5:53</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>ALHFALH IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS<br/>this was supposed to be a one shot but it got too long haha<br/>there's gonna be a chapter a day tho cuz im basically done writing it.<br/>HOPE YALL LIKE ITT</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu! Over here!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu laughed and shook his head, deliberately running as far away from Yeonjun as he could.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy was calling his name amiably but Beomgyu knew what he was trying to do.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I promise I won’t Beomgyu, now get over here!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu glanced back and laughed when he saw Yeonjun chasing him, his hands outstretched and covered in paint. He had already subjected the others to the sticky colors and Beomgyu grinned when he dashed past the three tired and smiling boys, lying on the grass near the golden tree.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come on, Beomgyu, you can do this!” Taehyun yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth and laughing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re faster than him! Don’t let him catch up to you!” Kai agreed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Glancing back, Beomgyu marveled at how fast the 18 year old was. It was almost as if he was flying across the grass, his feet barely touching the ground.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He vaguely wondered if Yeonjun was this fast in real life or if it was just a dream thing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His steps faltered when he realized that there </span>
  </em>
  <span>was</span>
  <em>
    <span> no real life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>At least not for Yeonjun, Soobin, Taehyun, and Kai, the friends Beomgyu had only met in his dreams.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was strange. The way every time he fell asleep, he’d meet the same four boys in his dreams.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It had started six years ago when he was 10, and Beomgyu immediately knew that these boys were his soulmates, his best friends for life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His only sorrow was that he could only meet them in his dreams.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was he crazy? He didn’t know, and so he never brought it up to anyone in the real world, and never dared to ask the boys if they were just a figment of his imagination.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He feared they might disappear if he tried to bring the real world into the picture.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, there was no way they could be real.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dreams didn’t come true. They just didn’t work that way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu, run!” Came Soobin’s laughing voice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu snapped back into reality (or at least the dream equivalent of reality…) only to trip over his own feet and fall onto the grass.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeonjun laughed delightfully, jumping onto Beomgyu and spread the paint onto his clothes, even going so far as to paint a blue stripe down the boy’s cheek.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite himself, Beomgyu laughed along with him, smiling softly when the others came to drag Yeonjun away from him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Soon, the five of them were sitting around talking about anything and everything under the sun.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Speaking of which, the sun was slowly beginning to set, shrouding his little field in a soft twilight.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ah the sun’s going to sleep…” Yeonjun pointed out, smiling as he squinted his eyes against the moonlight. “I should get going. Bye Beomgyu, this was fun.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I should go too.” Soobin said, standing up and grabbing his book from beside the tree.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Until next time, Beomie.” Taehyun said, grinning and waving before going to help Yeonjun gather his paints.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Let’s meet tomorrow too!” Kai chirped, standing up and holding out his arms.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu smiled and stood, hugging the younger boy before glancing up and waving the others over.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can’t forget the group hug.” Soobin sighed happily, as the five of them embraced in the soft light.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll miss you guys.” Beomgyu muttered softly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t be so sad, silly. We see each other every day. We’ll see you in the morning!” Kai pointed out.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And Beomgyu simply smiled, not knowing how to point out that it was already morning in the real world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Before he knew it, the boys were walking away, each in a different direction, presumably to their own homes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu had been to their little dreamscapes before.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just like his little golden tree field that was on the outskirts of a peaceful looking ferris wheel, the others ‘homes’ were also unique.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeonjun lived in what could only be called a painter’s paradise. A little house filled with all kinds of arts and crafts, just beside a beautiful flower garden. Beomgyu guessed he probably spent his days meticulously painting each and every flower he came upon on his canvases.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Soobin lived in a little beach house filled with all kinds of books. Right on the edge of the water, the sun’s reflection shining like gold. Beomgyu could imagine the boy sitting on his porch, reading Harry Potter for the fifth time as the sun set behind him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Taehyun lived in a kind of amusement park of all things. Beomgyu found it hilarious and a bit strange that the quiet and mature boy lived in such a place. He could almost see the small boy sitting on the carousel, staring up at the moon with a soft smile on his face.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kai lived in a colorful forest, filled with all kinds of mystical creatures. Everything in that forest seemed to shimmer and shine in an everlasting light. Beomgyu didn’t doubt that the boy often spent his days talking to and playing with the fantastical animals.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was these interesting dreamscapes, more than anything, that convinced Beomgyu that these boys couldn’t be real and were only part of his imagination.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He glanced back at his tree, reasoning that he had a pretty strange dreamscape as well, but he was very much real.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shaking his head, he decided to stop thinking about it for the hundredth time since meeting the boys. No use trying to get his hopes up when there was clearly no way it could be real.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dragging his feet, Beomgyu trudged over to the tree and leaned against it before sliding back down onto the ground.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He gave one more glance to the abandoned ferris wheel before closing his eyes and waiting as reality rushed back into his mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu flinched away from the shrill voice of his stepmother, turning his face away and into his pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and sighed when he saw that it read 6:30 AM.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would never understand why his stepmother would insist that he wake up so early despite the fact that they lived very close to his school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing, he realized that he actually knew very well why she did that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For all her shouting and scolding, he would much rather deal with her than his father, who always had a bad temper since his mother died, but even more so in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so his stepmother would always make sure to wake him up before his dad so he wouldn’t have to deal with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed heavily once more and sat up, his eyes downcast as memories of his dream were silenced and put away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sparing his stepmother from yelling again, he quickly stood up and yelled back, letting her know that he was up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small grin formed on his face as the thought came to his head that it was quite hilarious how his dad never woke up from all the yelling the two of them did in the house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then again, nothing could really rival his father’s voice when it came to yelling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head and walked over to his window. He pushed the curtains aside, thoughtfully staring up at the sun peeking over the horizon and wondering why the sunrise was so much brighter in his dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second he stepped out of the house it was as if a switch was flipped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu’s face was bright with a stunning smile and joyful eyes. He honestly didn’t know himself if it was a facade or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He preferred to think that it wasn’t. He was truly happy to be out of the house and on his way to school. He couldn’t wait to see his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But really, at the end of the day, nothing could compare to the euphoria he felt in his dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head sharply, sternly reminding himself that he was better off not thinking about the dreams when he was awake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He needed to separate the two or he might accidentally mention something which would only make one more thing people could bully him about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey kid!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu flinched away from the harsh voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speaking of bullies…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you not hear me or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu simply rolled his eyes, not even acknowledging Seojun’s presence as he turned around and began walking in the other direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, the taller boy would never let Beomgyu off that easy and he knew that. But he was betting on the fact that he was close to his school and maybe someone might see him and help him out of the situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But for now, he was walking away, hoping Seojun had come alone and that he was in a good mood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was quickly proven wrong as he was suddenly jerked backward, the bully gripping his backpack and pulling harshly. He let go at the last second, making Beomgyu’s balance tip and sending him falling to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A loud ringing filled his ears when his head hit the floor. He winced at the sharp pain, rolling over and standing up as fast as he could with the world spinning around him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun stood there calmly, almost looking bored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m too tired to beat you up today, so why don’t you just do me a favor?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu rolled his eyes once again and sighed in frustration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not doing your shit for you Seojun.” He stated and turned away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You used to be such a good kid when you were younger.” Seojun sighed, the smirk present in his voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu grimaced slightly, clearly remembering his middle school days as if they were just yesterday. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was a quiet boy, always looking lost and distant. Of course, who could blame him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had just gone through the death of his mother and had no idea if he could continue without her. His father had become bitter after her death and it was a daily struggle trying to keep himself from spiraling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun and his cronies had found the perfect kid to prey on and Beomgyu was too lost to fight back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully for him, he had made some good friends along the way. And they were always around to help him out of tight situations. Before long, those friends had helped him find his previous confidence and now he could pretty much deal with the bullies on his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But some days, like today, he was simply too tired to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so he continued to walk away from the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Until he said something that made Beomgyu stop in his tracks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Such a pity… What would your mother say?” Seojun chuckled slightly. “Of course, I can only assume she died out of pure disappointment in her useless son.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words hit Beomgyu like a knife to his heart and before he knew it he was turning back around, fire in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun looked absolutely delighted despite the murder in Beomgyu’s gaze and stood still while the boy rushed towards him, his fist raised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before Beomgyu could even land a single hit, he was jerked backwards for the second time that day. The tug on his backpack was just as harsh as the first time but the intentions were completely different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, calm down!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu tried desperately to get out of his friend’s grip but for such an innocent looking boy, Jeongin was much stronger than one would expect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin, let me go!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t do that, Beomie…” Jeongin replied, his voice laced with regret as Seojun smirked once more before walking off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the boy was far enough away, Jeongin released Beomgyu only for the boy to round on him instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you do that?!” Beomgyu asked his friend, angrily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know very well why.” Jeongin replied, his brows furrowed in concern. “You would regret it later on, Beomgyu. You know it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t.” Beomgyu hissed, tearing his gaze away from Jeongin. “Not this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially this time, Beomgyu.” Jeongin said softly. “Trust me on that one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu just shook his head sharply, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he stared daggers at the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that he wasn’t fuming, he vaguely noticed how his head was still spinning, sharp pin pricks of pain still lingering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He winced and pressed a hand against his head gently before straightening and facing Jeongin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s frown grew deeper at the action, his own hand coming forward hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you ok? Did you hit your head?” He asked, turning the boy around and searching the back of his head. “You’re not bleeding. Are you dizzy or anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shifted away from Jeongin, frowning in irritation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” He muttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin took a step back, his frown persisting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop frowning. I’m fine.” Beomgyu repeated sternly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin smiled hesitantly and sighed before walking forward, putting a hand on the younger’s shoulder and leading the way towards the school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu…” Jeongin began slowly. “Is everything ok with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu glanced at the boy and frowned in confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything was far from ok with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have a great home life and bullies followed him around at school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite that, he was genuinely happy when he was with Jeongin and his other friends. He really was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, there was the constant feeling of loneliness despite all the friends he had. The feeling that something was missing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he knew exactly what that something was and the fact that he would never be able to get that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All things considered… Beomgyu was doing ok?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least that’s what he was going to tell Jeongin at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You seem very… lost these days. You look like something’s bothering you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu thought that was pretty spot on and suddenly the urge to spill everything overtook him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Should he tell Jeongin that he was feeling lonely?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That despite all the friends he had in real life, he couldn’t stop thinking about the four boys in his dreams?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a shock in itself that Beomgyu was even considering this at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe his home situation was finally getting to him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was Seojun’s comment?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was simply the way his head was still spinning?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before he could stop himself or even think about it, the words came spilling out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day 6 years ago when he had lost his mother. The day all the dreams started. The boys, their dreamscapes, all the things they’d done together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How lonely, how</span>
  <em>
    <span> empty</span>
  </em>
  <span> he felt all the time since he met them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed impossible but Jeongin’s frown seemed to be melting off his face the more Beomgyu spoke. He was beginning to regret his words the slightest bit, wondering if Jeongin thought he was crazy or something, but by the end of it all, Beomgyu was just confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because Jeongin was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Smiling?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why was he smiling?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them spoke for a long time, both of them stopping when they had reached the front steps of the school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin seemed almost ecstatic but also in deep thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Beomgyu couldn’t take it anymore and tore his gaze away from Jeongin’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed heavily and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unbelievable, isn’t it?” He said to break the silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is pretty unbelievable…” Jeongin agreed, making Beomgyu wince slightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the boy continued to speak, making Beomgyu frown in confusion and turn back to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what if I told you… You’re not the only one who’s had that experience?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu searched Jeongin’s eyes for a teasing glint but found none. Jeongin wasn’t messing with him? But then… What did he mean?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-what do you mean?” Beomgyu asked uncertainly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin simply shook his head and smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Meet me at Chan’s house after school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that, he walked inside, leaving Beomgyu standing there in confusion.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hope yall liked thattt!</p><p>Y'all can fangirl with me at...<br/>Tumblr:@minisuga127<br/>Twitter:@MiniSuga127</p><p>Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Wishlist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>next chapter!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu couldn’t help the anxious feeling in his heart as he went through the school day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why had Jeongin looked so excited?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was really regretting telling the boy about his dreams and he was almost tempted to tell him he was just messing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as it was, Jeongin kept avoiding him even if Beomgyu knew it wasn’t on purpose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And as if he didn’t have enough to worry about, Seojun seemed fixated on him that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was convinced his gym teacher hated him when he put him on Seojun’s team for their basketball game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu rolled his eyes and sighed as he went to stand by the others. Seojun’s gaze was trained on him, his smirk growing at his obvious discomfort. Beomgyu glared at the boy before turning away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t look so mad. You really hate me that much?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu grinned at Jeongin’s words as he turned to face him when he came to stand next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just our luck huh?” Beomgyu muttered. “We’re the only good players on this team.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s true.” Jeongin said, smiling. “But the others are pretty competitive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully, that’s enough to win this.” Beomgyu replied. “If we don’t, Seojun is sure to blame it on me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looked like he wanted to disagree, just for the sake of being kind to everyone, but he sighed after a bit and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin, you still have to tell me why you’re being so weird.” Beomgyu said, suddenly. “Who else has dreams like mine?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s grin returned full force as he shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll tell you after school.” Jeongin told him. “Besides, Jisung always tells the story best anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu smiled when he heard the boy’s name. Jisung had just graduated last year and he seemed to be having fun in college.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They hadn’t gotten much time to talk these days so Beomgyu was happy he would get to see him today. But the smile faded a bit when he remembered exactly what they would be talking about and the anxiousness returned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, should you really be playing right now?” Jeongin asked suddenly. “Didn’t you hit your head?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu paused, realizing that his head was actually still hurting. The pain hadn’t gone down a bit but Beomgyu felt that it was manageable. He frowned in irritation, wondering if Seojun had done more damage than he thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would definitely make the boy pay his hospital bill if anything went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine for now. I’ll just go to bed early or something.” Beomgyu replied, waving away the boy’s concern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin still frowned worriedly for a few seconds before turning away but that was only to be expected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Beomgyu had become friends with Jeongin and the others, Jeongin had been the youngest. He was always babied by the others so when Beomgyu joined the group, Jeongin was ecstatic to have a baby brother to take care of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright everyone, the game is starting in two minutes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu looked up at his gym teacher’s call and moved to get into his position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get to your places everyone.” Seojun called, a competitive light in his eyes as he walked to his position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy shot an angry look at Beomgyu as he passed by, making him sigh in frustration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was his problem now?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu decided to ignore the kid as the game started.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Much to his relief, the game seemed to be going in his team’s favor, the less skilled players coming through and blocking the other team’s shots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon Beomgyu forgot all about his worries, smiling at the rush of adrenaline the game was giving him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe he had become too carefree during the short game because by the end of the first game, he was already completely exhausted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He desperately wished for a longer break than their normal five minutes but before long Seojun was ordering everyone up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed and stood, wincing at the way his head was pounding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah are you ok?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head, trying to shake off the exhaustion. Once his head was clear enough, he frowned in confusion at the way Jeongin was gripping his arms tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine… Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You almost fell over kiddo.” Jeongin told him, frowning worriedly. “Are you feeling dizzy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu blinked a few times and sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, now that you mention it… I do feel a bit dizzy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should sit out. What if you have a concussion?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed, glancing irritably at Seojun who was pushing and shoving others to their positions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll sit out after this game.” Beomgyu said. “Seojun is gonna get it though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin laughed slightly and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you even planning on doing to him in this state?” he asked. “Anyways, if you’re not sitting out right now, then at least take it easy during the game.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded and shifted out of Jeongin’s grip, grabbing his hand instead and pulling him onto the court.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright mom, now let’s go play.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rolled his eyes, grinning as the two of them ran onto the court.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, Beomgyu probably should have sat out when Jeongin suggested it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as it was, now he had to play the game and deal with his increasing headache at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What made it even more annoying was the way Seojun kept glaring at him everytime he missed the basket or failed to block the other players.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu couldn’t be bothered by that right now and so he failed to notice the way Seojun’s anger was only growing by the second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Regardless, he probably should have seen it coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But by the time Seojun had had enough, it was too late to try and calm him down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone was shocked when Seojun suddenly headed straight towards Beomgyu in the middle of the game and shoved him hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with you?!” he yelled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The heck, Seojun?!” Beomgyu yelled right back, frowning in annoyance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re ruining the game on purpose!” Seojun shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed as the game slowly came to a stop, the gym teacher trying to break up the fight as students crowded around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes Beomgyu thought something was seriously wrong with Seojun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Either his parents didn’t teach him manners, or his brain simply hadn’t matured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever the case, Beomgyu was just about done with his attitude.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he told him so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Seojun, I don’t have enough patience as your parents so I’m not dealing with you right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Beomgyu tried to walk away, the crowd of students cheered loudly at what he had said, making him catch Jeongin’s eyes and share a grin with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That moment of satisfaction didn’t last long as Seojun decided to try the same trick from that morning, this time yanking on Beomgyu’s hood, sending him to the floor once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he hadn’t been so exhausted from the game, Beomgyu would’ve caught himself  in the nick of time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as it was, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> exhausted and the crowd of kids didn’t make it any easier to stop the fall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so Beomgyu hit his head harshly against the floor for the second time that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He winced at the sharp pain, shutting his eyes tightly as he sat up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Judging by the sounds of gasps and footsteps, Beomgyu guessed that the teacher finally made it to the crime scene.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seojun, principal’s office, now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu tuned out the rest, shaking his head sharply to get his focus back, but no matter what he did, his head kept spinning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, up you get. Jeongin, take him to the nurse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu opened his eyes when he felt his friend grab his arm once again and shakily got to his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe standing had been a bad idea because the second he was upright, the world spun around him, sending his mind into oblivion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last thing he heard before his vision suddenly faded to black was Jeongin calling his name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu took a deep breath, smiling softly when he recognized the gentle scent of grass and flowers around him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Opening his eyes, his smile only grew when he found himself perched on a familiar branch, the ferris wheel visible in the distance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He had never thought about it before, but it made sense for his consciousness to be transported back to his dreamscape if he was knocked out.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He blinked and turned his head when he felt a small pressure against his left shoulder.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His eyes widened slightly when he recognized the small blond boy resting his head on his shoulder, eyes closed in a deep sleep.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What was Taehyun doing in his dreamscape during the day?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shifting his gaze, he noticed that Taehyun wasn’t the only one there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There, leaning against either side of the tree trunk, sat Kai and Yeonjun, also fast asleep.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And if he peeked through the golden leaves, he could clearly make out the blue shock of hair and overturned book covering Soobin’s face.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As he watched, the boy turned his face slightly, making the book shift and fall to the floor, landing in the grass below.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu laughed quietly, gently moving Taehyun and propping him up against the trunk before lightly jumping off the branch.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He straightened once his feet hit the floor and walked over to the fallen book. He bent down to pick it up, giving it a quick once over before closing it and placing it next to Yeonjun.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu took a few steps back, frowning in confusion as he thought about why they could be here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Something told him he probably shouldn’t try to wake them up and that even if he tried they probably wouldn’t wake up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the pain in his head until it grew to an unbearable height, demanding his full attention. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wincing in pain, he cradled his head in one hand, sighing when he felt the familiar sensation of reality pushing its way into his mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lifting his head, he smiled at the sight before him once more before closing his eyes and feeling his dreamscape fading away.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu? You awake?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu groaned in response, shifting his head away from the voice as he opened his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am now…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu turned to Jeongin, blinking a few times to clear his vision before sighing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not bad actually.” He said. “My head just feels heavy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nodded, smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have a concussion but you did take a pretty bad hit to the head.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna kill Seojun.” He muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin simply laughed as Beomgyu slowly sat up. His eyes widened slightly when he realized he wasn’t at school anymore, but rather on the couch in Chan’s house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long was I out?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not long actually.” Jeongin said. “Just over an hour. The nurse told me to take you home but I took you to Chan’s instead. I don’t imagine your stepmother would be very happy seeing you home early.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu smiled wryly and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s ok though. Who needs any mom when we’ve got a whole Chan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin burst into laughter at that and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. Chan babies us more than our actual moms.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do what now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even try to deny it.” Jeongin laughed as Chan walked into the living room from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan simply smiled and handed Beomgyu the glass, quietly asking if he wanted anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu grinned and shook his head as his Hyung sat down next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t think I baby you guys as much as you say I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really do Hyung.” Jeongin stated. “You even worried over us before we all met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu frowned slightly at the words, glancing at the two, wondering if he heard correctly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How would that even happen?” Beomgyu asked finally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two shared a smile and turned to Beomgyu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry kiddo, but you’re gonna have to wait a few more hours until the others can join us.” Chan stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shot the two an annoyed look but sighed and nodded, sitting back against the cushions, his thoughts running wild.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu thought he would go insane with how cryptic everyone was being when he finally repeated his entire story to all eight boys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a while, all Beomgyu could focus on were the secretive smiles they kept sharing with each other. And then there was the way they kept looking at him and grinning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he asked them if it was weird for him to be having dreams like this and finally someone answered him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, kinda is… but kinda isn’t at the same time.” Jisung stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed and glanced at him in irritation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu himself didn’t know if he believed what Jisung said next but considering his own experiences it didn’t seem all that unbelievable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… Believe it or not… The eight of us had dreams like this about each other too.” Jisung began. “And all our dreams began after a big event in our lives that… changed us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others nodded along to his statements.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For me, it was when my dad ran off with some other woman, leaving me and my mom to fend for ourselves.” Jisung said, dropping his gaze momentarily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But regardless, we all started having those dreams.” He continued. “And what’s more is that we all decided to ask each other if we were real and it turned out we were! So we all met up and it was like… we all felt so complete.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s more is that we found out we were all born at the same time.” Minho spoke up. “3:25.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was born at 5:53” Beomgyu muttered. “That’s a strange connection to have.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is.” Seungmin agreed. “We still don’t know what causes these dreams and why they happen but we do know that there are very few people in the world who have these dreams.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since finding each other, we’ve tried to find others like us.” Chan said. “It’s been like 2 years but we’ve only found one other group of friends like us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who?” Beomgyu asked, curiously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know Namjoon?” Hyunjin asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, your friend from uni?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. He and his group of friends also had the same dreams.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded slowly and sat back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what does it mean when… they show up in my dreamscape in the daytime?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did that happen when you passed out today?” Jeongin asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded, waiting expectantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well that happens when they’re thinking about you. Another thing to note is that we’re all somewhat emotionally connected. So when you’re in trouble, they’ll suddenly feel like something’s wrong and start wondering if you're ok.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kinda like… soulmates?” Beomgyu asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly what it’s like.” Felix said, nodding enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded again, leaning back and staring off into the distance thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re telling me…” Beomgyu muttered. “They’re real? And I can meet them in real life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t even try to keep the hope and excitement out of his voice as he turned to them with a wide smile and bright eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys all shared glances before returning the expression and nodding.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:))</p><p>Y'all can fangirl with me at...<br/>Tumblr:@minisuga127<br/>Twitter:@MiniSuga127</p><p>Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. We Lost The Summer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>time skips~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>One year later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu? Beomgyu! Are you listening to me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu blinked and looked up, confused as to what everyone was talking about.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Huh? What were we talking about?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For a few seconds, no one spoke and just stared at Beomgyu in confusion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu, are you ok?” Taehyun finally asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Beomgyu asked, frowning slightly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The four shared glances with each other before looking at the boy again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is your dad giving you a hard time again, Beomgyu?” Soobin asked, sternly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For a moment, Beomgyu smiled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It had been a year but it always brought a smile to his face whenever the others mentioned anything from the real world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It still didn’t feel real.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But after that day with Chan and the others, he had immediately told his friends about his life and found out that they had similar experiences and thoughts. Even that they were born at the same time as him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They had also thought the others were part of their imagination but after Beomgyu came clean, they all did as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now whenever they met up in their dreams, they’d make sure to tell their friends all about their days.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu was as happy as ever, but he did have one sorrow.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Finding out about the others lives meant dealing with disappointment when they realized that they all lived in different parts of the world, too far away from each other to ever meet up in the real world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It didn’t bother him as much in the beginning, but after a year, the sadness began to settle in again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He just wanted to be able to laugh at Yeonjun’s stories as they walked together.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to see Soobin’s bright smile rival the sun in the real world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to smack Kai when his loud laughter hurt his ears, only to laugh along with him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to have deep conversations with Taehyun under a real sky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to be with his friends.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And so he smiled and shook his head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No… My dad isn’t bothering me, don’t worry guys.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is there anything else bothering you?” Yeonjun asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu smiled and shook his head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ve been really distant lately Beomgyu.” Taehyun said softly. “You can tell us anything you know? And if you don’t trust us or something, at least make sure to talk to Jeongin about it.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu looked up and shook his head adamantly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, no, I trust you guys.” He said. “Nothing’s bothering me, I promise.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>None of the boys looked convinced and Kai sighed and shook his head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine, I’ll tell Jeongin myself.” He said, grinning.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The statement brought a smile to Beomgyu’s face.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How are you planning on doing that? You don’t have his phone number or anything.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Maybe I can just visit him in his dreams too.” Kai laughed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Doesn’t work like that, Kai.” Beomgyu said, laughing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There’s that smile.” Soobin said, grinning at the sight. “Seriously, though. You’re sure?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, you guys. You can stop worrying now.” Beomgyu said, smiling. “I appreciate it though. I guess… I just really wish we could meet in real life, you know? I mean this is cool and everything but…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know exactly what you mean.” Yeonjun said. “But don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll get the chance soon.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The others nodded along to his statement.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Honestly, we have each other's phone numbers. Why don’t we ever like… text or facetime like normal people?” Kai asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you kidding me?” Yeonjun asked. “Who needs that when we have this entire dreamland? This beats anything in the real world.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s true.” Soobin agreed. “I just don’t because I see you guys every night anyways.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Same here.” Taehyun stated.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu nodded to show that it was the same for him. Since exchanging phone numbers, all they’d done was make a group chat. They’d never contacted each other using normal means.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The dreamland was much more fun to hang out in.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And even though Beomgyu knew it wasn’t the case, meeting in the dreams made it feel like they were actually by his side.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What if…” Beomgyu paused for a second, wondering if he should even say such a thing. “What if we never get the chance though…? What if we just… spend years like this until-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nope, don’t say it.” Taehyun said, sternly, as he came forward to hug Beomgyu. “We are going to see each other, Beomgyu. Really soon, ok? We’re not gonna leave this world without seeing each other first.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu simply sighed and nodded, melting into the hug.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He felt his eyes sliding shut as the sun slowly set.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>By the time reality began coming back to him, he was smiling, surrounded by a tight embrace, his friends all around him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One year later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, Beomgyu still thought about Taehyun’s words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How he’d been so </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> that they’d meet up some day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe that day was still coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all it had only been two years since they found out about each other’s existences.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the meantime, Beomgyu’s life wasn’t getting any easier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With all his friends out of high school and busy with college, Beomgyu wasn’t having the best time anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The loneliness from years ago began to settle in again, a heavy weight against his heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents' fights were only getting more heated, ending in his stepmom leaving the house for days, leaving him alone with his dad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On those days, he would end up leaving the house as well, letting his dad get drunk on his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonight just happened to be one of those days and he was wandering the streets alone, his head bowed as he weaved through the crowds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes he wondered how he even ended up like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though it felt like years ago, he distinctly remembered that there were days when he was happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he would live without a care in the world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When his mother was still alive, when his dad was in better spirits, when he didn’t really have friends but was happy regardless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking back at his life like that, he realized he knew exactly when all that had changed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a day not unlike this one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t even remember how it happened but he was ten years old and had just broken his leg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He remembered it didn’t hurt much but it made him very sad that he wasn’t able to run around and play outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents had wanted to take him to get ice cream, hoping that it would lift the boy’s spirits but their car had broken down not long ago and was at the repair shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing could stop his parents from trying to bring back his smile though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so his mother had gone out at night, leaving his dad to take care of the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A trivial matter in anyone else’s eyes, but his parents would stop at nothing to get ice cream for their little boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother never came back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she was lost in thought. Maybe the guy that hit her had been lost in thought. Maybe it was on purpose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever the case, his father had to run to the hospital, carrying his ten year old son in his arms after hearing the news that his wife had been hit by a car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was part of the reason Beomgyu could never bring himself to hate his father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He used to be a happy guy, much like his son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things like that change a person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A faint buzzing sound shook Beomgyu from his thoughts and he stopped walking to pull his phone out of his pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed softly when he saw Jeongin’s name on the screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked like he hadn’t been as good at hiding his feelings as he thought he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at his phone for a few seconds before deciding to spare Jeongin any more worry on his part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” He said, his voice sounding exhausted even to his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu… Are you at home? Are you ok? Should I come over?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu laughed softly as he continued to walk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I’m ok, Hyung. Why wouldn’t I be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, seriously, tell me what’s wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can you assume something is wrong with me?” He asked, his voice alarmingly void of emotion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomie, please. Don’t insult my intelligence. We’ve been friends long enough for me to notice when you’re off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m ok, Jeongin. It’s nothing you can help with anyways.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I can’t, but I should at least be there for you. Should I come to your place?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu chuckled again as he stopped at a crosswalk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could… But I’m not there anyways…” He told him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed softly as he waited for the walk signal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I actually don’t know… Just out for a walk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin fell silent for a few seconds before sighing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be safe, ok? I’m staying on the phone until you get back home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ok…” Beomgyu muttered. “Thanks…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Beomie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that, Jeongin took the lead, talking to Beomgyu about completely random things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu knew he was doing it to help him forget about whatever was bothering at the moment, but he didn’t mind it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a rather nice feeling, talking to one of his best friends in the stillness of night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu kept pacing aimlessly, but with Jeongin’s cheerful voice leading him, he didn’t feel lost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walk signal finally lit up, allowing the people who had gathered to cross the street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you’re almost 18, kiddo. Don’t grow up so fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu laughed at the statement and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should talk. You left me to fend for myself. How’s college going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“College isn’t too bad. What about you? Is Seojun still bothering you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really. Can you believe he has a mature side to him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No way!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! The other day, he-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu frowned suddenly, stopping in his tracks when a different sound hit his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Screams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe he should have been paying more attention. Should have realized something like this might happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he had been too focused on Jeongin’s voice to notice the car ahead, veering out of control. To notice the people moving out of the way, screaming at him to run.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eyes widening, he began to move but it was already too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The car was simply moving too fast. Faster than his feet would ever be able to carry him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shut his eyes tight just as the car collided with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Honestly, he barely felt the impact or the sensation of being thrown forwards onto the street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds, he felt and heard nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the ringing in his ears finally died down, he could hear sirens and people calling out to him. But he paid them no attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even when the agonizing pain caught up to him, he didn’t focus on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he could do was desperately reach out for his phone, never wanting to hear Jeongin scream like that ever again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He must have blacked out at some point because the next thing he knew, Jeongin’s voice wasn’t coming from his phone but from right above him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slowly opened his eyes, vaguely wondering when he had even closed them, and tried to focus on his friend’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could barely make out Jeongin yelling his name, a few others standing behind him that looked familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ah, there was Chan, Minho, Changbin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others must be around somewhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What were they doing here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where even was here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin…” He whispered, turning his head slightly, the small action sending a spark of pain racing through his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, you’re gonna be fine, don’t worry, ok? Someone’s called an ambulance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu blinked in confusion, wondering why his vision was so blurry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ambulance…?” He repeated, voice distant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he lying on the floor? Why?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved to sit up and suddenly remembered everything, as the pain crashed into him like a tidal wave, forcing him back to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shutting his eyes tightly, he groaned in pain, countless aches all over his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d definitely taken a bad hit to the head and broken more bones than he cared to think about right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes again, feeling tears streak down his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes fate was just cruel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He vaguely wondered if his mother had felt this way when she died.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I going to die...?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin just shook his head adamantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not, Beomgyu, not on my watch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu gazed into his eyes imploringly. He didn’t want to die just yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t get to meet them. I don’t wanna di-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you won’t Beomgyu. Now stop talking, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu swallowed back the tears that wanted to keep coming and turned his head away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pain was still there, but somehow Beomgyu felt numb, the sharp aching only a forethought when he was too busy thinking about how he might never see the sunrise again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Already, he could feel the way his chest ached every time he breathed in. The way his vision kept fading in and out. The way the world was spinning around him, his ears ringing constantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hurts, Hyung…” He gasped. “Want it to stop…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It will, Beomgyu, I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu groaned once more, exhaustion washing over him suddenly. He let his eyes slide shut, the pain overtaking him once more and pulling him into the dark abyss of sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lemme go hide real quick... heh</p><p>Y'all can fangirl with me at...<br/>Tumblr:@minisuga127<br/>Twitter:@MiniSuga127</p><p>Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ghosting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>next chapter!!!<br/>plz dont kill me after this... hehe</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu opened his eyes to see the four faces he wanted to see the most.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He smiled softly, leaning forward and glancing up at the sun shining through the golden leaves.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was one sunrise he would never get tired of.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Slowly, he turned back to his friends, vaguely noticing the concern on their faces.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He smiled wider but for some reason, it was exhausting to hold up the expression.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Guys? What’s wrong? Why do you all look so worried?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu was vaguely aware of how distant his voice sounded, but he paid it no attention. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The others sat back and glanced at each other before looking back at him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You wouldn’t wake up so we got worried.” Yeonjun explained. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You usually don’t stay up so late…” Taehyun pointed out. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu smiled and shook his head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No need to worry so much, you guys.” Beomgyu said. “Something was just keeping me up is all. And I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Not going anywhere?” Soobin repeated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tell us what happened, Beomgyu.” Kai said.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing happened…” He said, shaking his head. “Why do you think something happened?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Taehyun raised an eyebrow, giving him an unimpressed look.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We’re emotionally connected, remember? Something happened. Something bad.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu laughed slightly as he slowly stood. The others followed his movement, concerned frowns only growing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu paid no attention to their questioning gazes as he slowly walked forward a few steps, eyes on the abandoned ferris wheel, a small smile on his face.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is it really a bad thing though? When I’m so happy right now?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For a while no one spoke. And then suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder, turning him around to face Soobin’s imploring eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu, what’s going on? Please tell us. You say you’re happy but…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t need to say it. Beomgyu already knew how strange he was acting and he honestly didn’t know how he felt.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But he knew that he was closer to death than life at this point.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And if being dead meant living in his dreamscape forever…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, he definitely preferred that over going back home.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m… not ok.” He whispered. “I think… I’m not going to wake up…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Not wake up?” Kai asked, his voice a terrified whisper. “What do you mean?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>From the looks on everyone’s faces, Beomgyu knew that everyone knew exactly what he meant. But for their sake, he repeated the story of what happened that night as calmly as possible.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was no way he was going to survive this…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was that really a bad thing?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe he’d get to stay here forever…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beomgyu listen to me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu blinked and brought his attention back to Yeonjun who was gripping his arms tightly, his eyes stern.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You have to wake up. You have to survive this. If you give up here, you really won’t wake up. You have to try.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He gazed into Beomgyu’s eyes desperately, but all he could do was stare.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do I really have to though?” He asked. “Wouldn’t it be so much better for me to stay here? With you guys forever?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We don’t even know if that’s how it works.” Taehyun said, desperation in his voice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu thought about that for a few seconds before shrugging.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Even if it isn’t, I don’t really care.” Beomgyu stated. “I… have nothing to wake up for.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s not true, Beomgyu.” Kai said, looking on the verge of tears. “Please don’t do this, Beomgyu. You have so much to go back to. We still have to meet each other in the real world! You still have Jeongin and the others.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly, the image of Jeongin yelling his name and promising that he wouldn’t die flashed in his mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jeongin…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy who had been with him through all the ups and downs in his life…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His best friend, his older brother…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He never wanted to see Jeongin be sad.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t cry, Beomgyu. We’ll help you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Soobin’s voice brought him back to reality, as he swiped his tears away, wondering when they had even appeared.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t want to die…” He whispered, looking up at his friends. “It’s just so…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He trailed off, but he knew he didn’t have to explain. The others all embraced him without hesitation.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, Beomgyu, I know…” Yeonjun muttered softly. “I know… but things will get better. I promise… We’ll always be here, ok? But you have to be here too. We don’t want this for you. We love you, Beomgyu.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu nodded, reeling his tears in and resting his head against Yeonjun’s shoulder.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Now focus… Try to wake up.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu sighed and shut his eyes, immediately noticing how far the tendrils of reality seemed to be.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He tried to run towards them but it was so tiring, so exhausting.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to give up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But at the same time, he knew he’d regret it if he did.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And so he ran with all his might, eventually feeling his friends fade away as his balance tipped and sent him spiraling back to reality.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin didn’t know how much time had passed but he still hadn’t stopped reliving the horrifying experience.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t had any idea what was happening when Beomgyu suddenly stopped talking in the middle of their phone call. But then the sounds of screams and yells filtered through before an ear shattering crash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Most of what happened after was a blur, but he somehow ended up finding Beomgyu lying in the middle of the street, surrounded by people screaming and crying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never wanted to see such a thing again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a few hours since Beomgyu had been rushed to the hospital and the doctors had told him he would recover in time but that the hit to his head might cause partial amnesia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He honestly didn’t mind if Beomgyu might forget him. He just wanted the boy to be ok.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, it would be sad to have to build his friendship with him all over again, but all that he cared for was that Beomgyu would make it out alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced up, gaze lingering on the sleeping boy in the hospital bed and shuddered, thinking about how close he had gotten to losing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At some point, when the doctors were doing their best to keep him alive, Beomgyu’s heart rate had decreased rapidly, coming dangerously close to stopping altogether.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By some miracle, they’d been able to stabilize him just in time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, all that was left was to wait until the boy woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was well past visiting hours, but the doctors had let him stay, probably knowing that Jeongin wouldn’t be able to sleep that night without seeing the boy wake up and that Beomgyu himself would probably need to see a familiar face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s thoughtful gaze had dropped to the floor so he didn’t notice that the boy had barely opened his eyes until the soft rustling of blankets caught his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s head shot up, a small gasp leaving him as his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Beomgyu lying there, his eyes half open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu…” He called out softly, watching as the boy turned his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu didn’t speak for a long time, just stared at him for a few seconds before smiling slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grinned despite the tears that were slowly gathering in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, you’re awake.” He whispered, taking the boy’s hand in his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded slowly, the smile still present.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am…” He muttered. “So stop crying now, you big baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sighed and rolled his eyes, letting the few tears fall as his smile grew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was so scared, Beomgyu.” He told him. “You almost didn’t make it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saying it out loud made his heart ache and his eyes sting with renewed tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had come so close to losing one of his best friends, his little brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lonely little boy who had always looked so lost before. Who would always get picked on by the other kids.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had watched Beomgyu grow up and he was glad he could be a part of his personal growth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never wanted to lose the kid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m here now.” Beomgyu muttered. “Sorry for scaring you so badly…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin smiled and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you were more scared than me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu turned away and stared into the distance for a few seconds before sighing heavily and nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” He whispered. “That was pretty scary…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin didn’t say anything for a few seconds before deciding he should probably try and see if Beomgyu had forgotten anything important.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He most certainly remembered him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But did he remember anything else?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu turned his head and raised an eyebrow expectantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you… remember what happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu paused for a few seconds before nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got hit by a car.” he stated. “Why are you asking? Am I supposed to have amnesia or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sighed and nodded sympathetically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The doctor said you might have partial amnesia, so I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget anything important.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded in understanding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, keep asking me questions then.” He said, gesturing for him to continue. “Although, I don’t think I forgot anything big.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope so.” Jeongin said. “Alright, do you remember why you were outside in the first place?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu laughed dryly at that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, my parents were fighting again. Mom left. So I left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nodded. So he definitely remembered his family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin continued asking general questions, making sure he remembered where he lived, his age, his birthday, Chan and the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, it would take Beomgyu a few seconds to answer, but overall, he seemed to remember everything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, something bothered Jeongin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something off about Beomgyu, but he couldn’t place it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something in his eyes was… different, but familiar at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides that, Jeongin had the strange feeling that he was forgetting to ask him about something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something important.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed heavily, shaking Jeongin out of his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shifted slightly, wincing in discomfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What other injuries do I have, by the way?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grimaced, throwing a sympathetic glance his way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think the only thing that was completely spared was your right arm.” Jeongin stated. “You broke your left arm and leg. Your right leg got scratched up pretty badly. A couple of your ribs broke. And then you hit your head. That’s about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed heavily once more and closed his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna be here forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not forever.” Jeongin said, grinning wryly. “Just a few months.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu opened his eyes to throw him an unimpressed look, before dropping his gaze once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had that strange look in his eyes again that he couldn’t really place and for some reason, that made Jeongin anxious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you tell my parents what happened by the way?” Beomgyu asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm.” Jeongin said, nodding. “They said they’d visit tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu scoffed and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course they did.” Beomgyu muttered. “You’re really all I’ve got.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grinned and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not…” Jeongin said. “I know I’m great and all, but don’t sell your other friends short.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded and smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. Chan and the others would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t mention them.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin mirrored the smile and sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re ok, Beomgyu…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad too.” Beomgyu said. “Even though… I don’t have much to look forward to, here. Except you guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do, Beomgyu. Don’t say that.” Jeongin said, taking the boy’s hand. “You have so much to look forward to, I promise. Even though it may not look like it now. Besides, you still have to meet the boys. I didn’t want you to die before meeting them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu’s soft smile faltered slightly, his brows furrowed in confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The boys?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s heart dropped, his eyes widening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t have forgotten </span>
  <em>
    <span>them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It just wasn’t possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the boys…” Jeongin repeated. “You know… Yeonjun, Soobin, Taehyun, Kai? Your dream buddies?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream buddies?” Beomgyu repeated, his expression becoming even more confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You… Don’t remember?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head slowly, frowning thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are they? And what the heck are dream buddies? What were their names again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jeongin couldn’t bring himself to explain it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He finally understood the strange look in Beomgyu’s eyes and why it unsettled him so much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes had that same look from years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lonely, empty, lost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The way they had looked before he met the others in his dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That, more than anything, convinced Jeongin that he had completely forgotten the boys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With incredible willpower, he forced his tears away and smiled as brightly as he could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he shook his head and told the most painful lie he’d ever told.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never mind, Beomgyu. They’re not important.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter made me sad :(<br/>anyways BYE<br/>last chapter will be up tmr!!</p><p>Y'all can fangirl with me at...<br/>Tumblr:@minisuga127<br/>Twitter:@MiniSuga127</p><p>Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Way Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>LAST CHAPTER!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>2 years later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu never walked outside alone after that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone was always with him because he simply couldn’t do it alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as he stepped outside alone, an unbearable surge of anxiety would hit him out of nowhere as his panicked eyes searched the streets carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides his fear of being alone, there was the unexplainable loneliness he felt despite being surrounded by his best friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This loneliness was by no means a new thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In fact, he remembered feeling this way for most of his life all the way up to the day his mother died.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strangely enough, the day his mother died marked the day his loneliness faded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had no idea how or why something like that would even happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he distinctly remembered being at least somewhat happy in the eight years leading up to his car accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something had happened to him in those eight years. Something important to him. Something that should have been unforgettable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he tried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been living pretty well since then, minus the obvious depression, so technically, whatever he had forgotten couldn’t have been that important, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Beomgyu was convinced that whatever it was had something to do with the way his heart ached in sorrow whenever he woke up from another dreamless sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was another thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t had any dreams since the accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could only write it off as some side effect of the hit he had taken to the head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another thing that had changed since the accident was the way his friends would look at him sorrowfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the beginning it was normal, Chan and Minho constantly fussing over him, while the others made sure he had everything he needed so he wouldn’t need to bother with the crutches.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then he recovered. And then a few months passed. And then a year. And then another year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Beomgyu could still make out the flash of sadness in their eyes whenever they looked his way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he definitely didn’t miss the way they would try and subtly ask him how he was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would always tell them he was doing great.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was a lie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know why, but after the accident, he had somehow become the same lost boy he had been back then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beomgyu!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu was shaken from his thoughts by a familiar voice. He turned around to see Seojun standing not too far away, smiling as he waved at him crazily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu smiled despite himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun wasn’t a bad kid, as Beomgyu realized just before the accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That day, Seojun had watched his own little brother get beaten up by a few rowdy teens and seeing that made him really upset.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d helped his brother out of the situation, but strangely enough the boy didn’t seem to want to thank him or even talk to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a little prying, Seojun’s brother told him he had no right to be mad at the teens for what they did when he was guilty of doing the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun then realized that just because he was also bullied as a kid didn’t make it right for him to do the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took him a while, but he was eventually able to get rid of the unchecked aggression that had built up inside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a while, he didn’t talk to a lot of people, keeping mostly to himself, but eventually he approached Beomgyu and apologized the day he had his accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy had even visited him in the hospital at some point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had become a good friend to Beomgyu since then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy ran over to Beomgyu and put a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you waiting for Jeongin to take you home or something?” He asked, glancing back at the college campus before turning back to Beomgyu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded to answer his question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s got tutoring though.” He said. “So I’m just waiting out here until he can walk with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I see.” Seojun replied. “Well, I can take you home if you don’t wanna wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s fine, he should be out in a bit anyways.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun smiled and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, I’m taking you home. I passed by the classroom on my way out and it doesn’t look like they’re anywhere near done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn really?” Beomgyu asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just text Jeongin that I got this and we’ll go if that’s cool with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun’s voice became a bit hesitant towards the end of the sentence and that more than anything made Beomgyu smile and accept his offer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been two years but every so often, Seojun would still get awkward every time he tried to do something nice for Beomgyu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu held absolutely no grudge against him. Maybe he was being too nice, but he saw no point in being mad at the kid for something he did when he didn’t know any better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so he walked home with the boy, talking about the most randomest things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun surprised Beomgyu when he remembered that his birthday was in a couple of weeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any plans?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu grinned and shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know Jeongin and the others are planning some surprise party.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun turned to Beomgyu, an amused grin on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know about that?” He asked, laughing slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Beomgyu said, laughing along with him. “They’re really bad at keeping secrets. You were in on it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun nodded, smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know you too well, but I still wanted to do something, you know? Since I don’t know what to get you as a present, I thought I’d ask Jeongin. But he ended up inviting me to help with the surprise party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s really nice of you, Seojun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun just sighed and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really… It’s the least I can do, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu slowed to a stop as his house came into view and smiled at Seojun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been two years, bro.” Beomgyu reminded him. “I forgave you for everything, you know that, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bet you haven’t forgotten about anything though…” Seojun said, not meeting his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s ok.” Beomgyu said, putting a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up. “We don’t have to forget. After all, it’s part of our growth. We just don’t have to feel bad about it. It’s in the past.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” Seojun muttered. “It’s ok, you don’t have to say all this to me, Beomgyu. I know I’m not a great person or-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seojun, the fact that you’re standing here today as my friend proves that you’re a good person.” Beomgyu stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seojun just shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… I still think you’re just too nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu grinned and shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get there eventually, Seojun. Just don’t forget that you’re not your past.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind.” Seojun said, grinning. “Now go home. I’ll see you tomorrow!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See ya!” Beomgyu said, waving as the boy walked away smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One week later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one of his bad days.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That much he knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What he didn’t know was why…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing really significant happened that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In fact, his day had gone pretty well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got to see all his friends that day, something that didn’t happen often. He was on track with all his studies. He was feeling pretty good until someone mentioned his birthday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, his mood came crashing down for absolutely no reason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why did his heart ache so painfully whenever someone asked him what he wanted for his birthday?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was it because he simply didn’t know what he wanted?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or was it something else?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was it the feeling that deep down, there was something he wanted, something he </span>
  <em>
    <span>missed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but just didn’t know what?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Regardless of the reason, the weight on his heart grew as his birthday came closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The more he wanted to cry, the brighter he smiled, because that was all he could do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have it in him to let down his friends who were so excited to see him turn 20.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to do this for them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the day, his feelings didn’t really matter if he couldn’t even pinpoint the reasons for them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But one week before his birthday, all his feelings came crashing down on him, demanding to be recognized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed through the day, keeping the smile on his face even when Jeongin began to get suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t even know how many times he had to repeat the phrase “I’m fine.” But he would do it a hundred more times if it meant sparing his friends any more worry on his part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been so long since he cried himself to sleep, but that night he couldn’t hold it in anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Considering how his emotions had been all over the place since the accident, it only made sense and Beomgyu had fully expected to break down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What he didn’t expect was to fall asleep, only to wake up in a strange dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Slowly opening his eyes, Beomgyu frowned in confusion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was a dream, wasn’t it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A dream, in itself, was nothing strange. Everyone experienced them after all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Even he had dreams before the accident.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But it had been two years since then and he hadn’t had a dream since. What did this mean?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was his brain finally catching up and fixing the supposedly irreparable damage?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shaking his head slightly, he ignored his questions to focus on his surroundings. His frown only grew as he took in the mostly empty, but beautiful field before him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everything around him shimmered with a gold light, including the tree he was currently leaning against.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sweeping his gaze across the field, he caught sight of a ferris wheel in the distance. On the outside, it looked very well kept. But if Beomgyu focused on it, it looked pretty much abandoned, the bright paints coming off as dull. The gold shimmer never seemed to reach the ferris wheel.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tearing his gaze away from the lonely ferris wheel, his eyes landed on an overturned book, lying on the grass.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Seeing nothing better to do, Beomgyu stood and walked over to the book, picking it up and closing it, before placing it next to the tree.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He frowned again as he straightened, wondering why the place felt so new and familiar at the same time.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu was intrigued, hesitating only a few seconds before deciding to explore the rest of this place.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;/&lt;&gt;</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu found that the dreamscape was a lot bigger than he had expected and besides that, he found several other dreamscapes in his exploring.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He found a beautiful beach house filled with books.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He found a colorful circus that made him smile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He found a magical forest that was filled with interesting creatures.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The more he explored, the more he felt a sense of deja vu. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He had been here before. He just didn’t know when.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But the sense of familiarity was undeniable.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He could only assume this is what he had forgotten as a result of his head injury.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The more he explored, the more his sadness grew as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It had been two years and he had forgotten something so amazing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was something else he was forgetting but he didn’t pinpoint it until he came across a little house in the midst of a flower field.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He carefully walked into the house, his thoughts racing too fast for him to be able to appreciate the countless paintings on the walls.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Something tickled the back of his mind when his eyes fell upon a big sketchbook on one of the shelves.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rushing over to it, he carefully flipped the first page and suddenly, everything came rushing back to him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His eyes widened and his throat tightened as he stared down at the painting of five boys running and laughing in the magical forest.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu couldn’t help the few tears that fell as he flipped to the next page.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There they were again, this time on the beach.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And again, in the flower field.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And again, in the circus.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He flipped the last page and smiled tearfully at the beautiful painting of the five of them sitting on the branches of the golden tree, smiling softly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And Beomgyu recognized all of them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeonjun, Soobin, Kai, Taehyun.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And himself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Smiling genuinely, pure happiness in his eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He dropped his gaze and shook his head, putting the book away and wiping away his tears.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was what he had been missing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was what he had forgotten.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was too late...</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They weren’t here anymore…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And so while Beomgyu was happy he remembered…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A happy memory was all they’d ever be…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The day before Beomgyu’s birthday…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He woke up that day feeling absolutely exhausted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he wasn’t surprised in the least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been feeling this way every day since the night he remembered his best friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Every night, he’d be thrown back into his dreamscape. Sometimes, he’d run around like crazy, searching for his friends but finding nothing. Other times, he’d sit by his tree and stare out into space, eyes trained on the ferris wheel in the distance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mostly, he would cry as he hugged a plushie of Kai’s he had found in the boy’s dreamscape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry…” He’d whisper to no one in particular. “I’m sorry I forgot about you all. Please… Come back... I have to find you guys again…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hated calling them dreams because those were supposed to be a magical escape. But he couldn’t call them nightmares because they were the only remnants of his best friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mood had deteriorated drastically over the last week and all his friends had caught on at this point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d basically waved away everyone’s worries except Jeongin’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin just had the strange ability to get anything and everything out of him despite how much he’d want to keep it hidden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu didn’t remember much about how it happened, but he ended up telling Jeongin about how he remembered his “dream buddies” and how they were gone from the dreamland.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The conversation that followed was a blurry mess in Beomgyu’s head. The only thing he seemed to remember was how they both ended up crying sorrowfully by the end of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin knew Beomgyu and his moods very well, but Beomgyu knew Jeongin just as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so when the two of them were sitting in a heavy silence and Jeongin’s eyes widened suddenly, he knew he had realized something important. What’s more is that Beomgyu definitely didn’t miss the slight hope in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Beomgyu whispered, almost terrified to break the silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin opened his mouth to speak before closing it suddenly, the sadness in his eyes returning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You had their phone numbers in your old phone…” he muttered, dejectedly. “That’s broken now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed heavily, shaking his head and swallowing the next wave of tears before they could show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He barely felt Jeongin lean forward and wrap his arms around him, running a gentle hand through his hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry Beomgyu.” He muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be.” Beomgyu sighed. “I’ve got you. You’re more than enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin leaned back and smiled at the boy, patting his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s your birthday tomorrow kiddo.” He reminded him. “You… know we planned a surprise party for you, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded, grinning slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could postpone it if you’re not up to it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head hurriedly, smiling reassuringly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys put so much effort into it. I don’t want it to go to waste.” Beomgyu said. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Besides, maybe this is exactly what I need to get my mind off this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin didn’t look convinced but nodded anyways.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time he left, there was a determined glint in Jeongin’s eyes and despite knowing him for so long, Beomgyu could only guess what it could mean.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The next day…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu’s birthday…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite everything going on in his life at the moment, Beomgyu found it in himself to smile genuinely that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How could he not?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was his birthday and all his friends had worked so hard to make it special for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if he wasn’t exactly surprised when he walked into school that day only to be showered with hugs and confetti, he felt the happiness in his heart that hadn’t been there for a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That entire day at school, he was showered with praises, gifts, and birthday wishes, sometimes from people he barely knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But mostly everyone knew Jeongin, and a friend of Jeongin’s was apparently everyone’s friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kind words and attention did the trick, helping him temporarily forget about everything bothering him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He truly hadn’t been this happy for a long time and he made sure to thank his friends endlessly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After school, everyone met up at Chan’s house and they had cake and all of Beomgyu’s favorite foods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They played all kinds of crazy games and watched hilarious movies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Beomgyu talked and laughed with his friends, he couldn’t help the feeling of euphoria rising in his heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wished this moment would last forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He always wanted to be chilling on Chan’s couch, Jeongin’s arm around his shoulder, laughing as Changbin almost dropped his cake onto the carpet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time in a long time, his smile didn’t feel forced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He briefly turned to Jeongin as he grabbed another cupcake off the coffee table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeonginnie, you haven’t given me a present yet.” He said, pouting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin glanced down at him, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My present is a surprise.” He stated. “I’ll give it to you once you actually turn 20.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu sighed and glanced at his phone. 5:00 pm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t much of a wait but Beomgyu found that the minutes seemed to crawl by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It better be a good surprise then.” Beomgyu whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh trust me, it’s the best surprise.” Jeongin stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced behind him where Seojun was in the kitchen, grabbing bottles of soda from the fridge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Believe it or not, Seojun helped me out a lot with this surprise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu glanced back and frowned slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean like the party? Or your surprise present?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Both.” Jeongin replied. “He’s not a bad kid… He wants to do a lot for you to make up for everything you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Beomgyu said, nodding. “I hope he knows I hold nothing against him. That was back when we both were immature.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He knows.” Jeongin stated. “But he holds it against himself. He feels like he was using his own experience as an excuse to be rude to you. And he hates that he did that. But he’s getting there. Eventually, he’ll forgive himself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, Seojun walked in with the bottles and a bag of paper cups, looking seconds away from dropping everything on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu and a few others stepped forward to help him out and Seojun thanked them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooooh.” Seojun said suddenly, glancing at Jeongin meaningfully. “It’s almost time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin simply smiled and Beomgyu noticed the way the others in the room were also hiding furtive smiles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He simply smiled and shook his head, leaning back as Chan took control of the remote and switched on a random movie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Normally, he wouldn’t be so invested in movies but Chan had decided to put on his all time favorite movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In retrospect, Chan had probably done that as part of their little secret surprise, distracting the boy as much as possible so he didn’t even realize when the time passed so fast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so when Chan suddenly paused the movie at 5:52, Beomgyu blinked in confusion and leaned back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, why did you stop? Hagrid was just about to say the wizard line.” Beomgyu whined, pouting like a child.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll watch the rest, don't worry.” Chan said. “I just thought we should wait for the rest of our guests…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu frowned and glanced at everyone. All his friends were already here…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What could Chan mean?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced down momentarily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grinned in excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s 5:53! Check your messages!” He said, barely containing his excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frowning slightly, Beomgyu did as he was told and carefully pulled out his phone, swiping right on the message and holding his phone up to his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed that he had been added to a group chat with four other unknown numbers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Happy birthday!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hey Beomgyu!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Miss us?</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Beomgyu, HI!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu frowned, his mind refusing to believe what he was seeing. Because suddenly, the unknown messagers sounded awfully familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Yes! It’s us! It’s me, Soobin!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>This is Tae!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It’s Kai, ur baby bro!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Did you miss Junnie Hyung??</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head minutely, his hands shaking with how hard he was gripping his phone. He barely noticed the silent tears streaming down his face as he laughed in disbelief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How?” He asked, turning to Jeongin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin gestured to Seojun, who was standing off to the side, smiling somewhat shyly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was all him really.” Jeongin stated. “I kept your old phone with me since the accident. I tried fixing it and took it to so many repair stores. Seojun has always been really tech savvy but I never really thought to see if he could somehow get your old stuff out of your phone until we talked last night. It took all night but… we got their numbers! Then we called them and let them know what happened all this time and how they were invited today. You could say they were also in on the surprise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook his head again, leaning forward to give Jeongin a hug. He glanced up at Seojun and gestured him forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy sighed, the guilt still present in his eyes, but he came forward and wrapped an arm around the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon the other seven came to hug him as well and Beomgyu all but melted in the embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would have loved to hug them forever, but soon enough, a knock sounded at the front door, making Chan laugh and break the hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.” He stated as he stood to open the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like something out of a dream as Beomgyu watched the four rowdy boys, his best friends, rush in, immediately locking eyes with him and embracing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It really did feel like the several hugs they shared in their dreams. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally, </span>
  </em>
  <span>real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu knew they were saying things to him, but it was hard to make out when all five of them were crying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I missed you guys so much…” he cried. “Is this even real?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt Taehyun nod against his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s real, Hyung. It’s really real.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu laughed suddenly and pulled away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soobin! You’re so much taller in real life!” He exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soobin laughed along with him and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kai is catching up to me!” he said, pointing to the maknae.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Kai is much louder in real life too.” Taehyun said, teasingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait so, is this the first time yall are seeing each other too?” Beomgyu asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeonjun shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We met up a few days ago to look for you!” he told him. “We finally got a chance to come to Seoul and we knew this is where you lived but we were searching for you in the wrong area! We had almost given up when we got Jeongin’s call.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We tried calling you on your old number, even though we knew your phone was probably broken.” Taehyun explained. “But we didn't know what else to do. Thankfully, Jeongin and Seojun figured it out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe this is real.” Kai muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Believe it kiddos.” Jeongin said, smiling at each of his own soulmates. “But also get used to that feeling.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five boys turned to Jeongin with questioning gazes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it never really feels real.” he said.  “Every moment you spend with each other is going to be like a beautiful dream.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five glanced at each other, smiling and thought that they understood Jeongin’s words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all, they had spent their entire lives with each other in their dreams. So even if it was real, it still felt like it was a dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as we’re all in the same dream, I’m fine with that.” Beomgyu stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never expected to find my best friends in the whole world all because of one dream.” Soobin said, his voice soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let's stay together tomorrow too.” Kai said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that, the five of them embraced each other again and they didn't let go of each other for a long time.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AND THATS A WRAP!<br/>thxxx soooo much to everyone who read, commented, and left kudos! they really mean so much to me and everyone who reads my stuff is special to me!<br/>i rly hope yall liked that little story! i hope to see you guys around soon!<br/>shameless self promo incoming! if yall need more txt, yall can check out my story Broken Mirror, Eternal Dream! it's based off Can't You See Me and it's complete!<br/>once again, thank u all so so so so much!!</p><p>P.S. I somehow managed to post every chapter at exactly 5:53😌✌️</p><p>Y'all can fangirl with me at...<br/>Tumblr:@minisuga127<br/>Twitter:@MiniSuga127</p><p>Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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